


Whatever the Weather

by revancequeen



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Cute, Cute Ending, Friendship, Gen, Heartwarming, Music, Piano, Platonic Relationships, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 21:57:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20495978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/revancequeen/pseuds/revancequeen
Summary: “Don’t worry about it,” he said, trying his best to sound reassuring. “I mean, the report said there would only be rain, right?”“With a chance of thunderstorms,” Kyoya added, still typing away.Tamaki smiled brightly. “B-but that’s only achance!There probably won’t even be a hint of thunder—”A low rumble sounded in the distance. Haruhi stiffened beneath his hand.





	Whatever the Weather

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Music Room 3 zine!

“Tamaki, you do know it’s time to wrap up for the day, right? Go change, already.”

“But Kyoya! How can you even think of making me change out of my costume? Truly, my stunning looks and these bold colors make the most exquisite match… Yes, indeed!” Tamaki pushed his hair back and spun in place to show off his fantastically-sequined jacket. “You needn’t say anything. I know that I alone perfectly personify this afternoon’s theme of _ Secret Relationship with an Idol! _ I’m almost tempted to propose a sequel event just so I can—” 

Tamaki paused in the midst of striking various poses for Kyoya when he happened to look out the window of Music Room 3. “Wait a minute. Those clouds weren’t that dark earlier, were they?”

“No.” Kyoya didn’t look up from his laptop, no doubt working on spreadsheets and other accounting-related business for the Host Club that Tamaki never really bothered with. “But this morning’s weather report predicted that there would be an eighty-percent chance of rain this afternoon.”

“Wait, really?” Hikaru groaned from near the changing rooms. “We didn’t bring umbrellas!”

Kaoru shrugged as he came out in his school uniform, glitzy costume draped over his arm. “It’s okay, we can just call the house and have the driver bring us a couple.”

Tamaki was barely listening. All his attention became focused on Haruhi, who was hunched over next to the tea cart she was supposed to be putting away, counting her fingers rapidly while muttering to herself.

“…sale today… promised Dad, but… if I leave now… make it in time?”

“Haruhi?”

She all but jumped as he put a hand on her shoulder. That was unlike her.

“Oh, it’s just you!” She heaved a breath of relief, but her nerves seemed no less frayed. “Uh, did you need something—the tea! Right, I need to put the tea away, silly of me to forget…!”

Scattered rambling was also unlike her. _ Very _unlike her. He would have found such a display from the usually-composed girl to be cute if he didn’t know the cause behind it.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, trying his best to sound reassuring. “I mean, the report said there would only be rain, right?”

“With a chance of thunderstorms,” Kyoya added, still typing away.

Tamaki smiled brightly. “B-but that’s only a _ chance! _ There probably won’t even be a hint of thunder—”

A low rumble sounded in the distance. Haruhi stiffened beneath his hand.

“Okay, well, that was only one time! And it was really quiet, anyway. The chances of there being _ lightning, _now those are practically—”

Brilliant light slashed through the clouds outside the window, followed by a much louder rumble. Haruhi was no longer frozen in front of him. Instead, she was speed-walking towards the changing rooms, almost running into Mori as he came out with Honey perched on his shoulders.

“Haruhi…?”

“I think I forgot something in here! No, I know I did!”

Honey stared at her retreating back, then glanced out the window. _ “Ohhh, _I remember now… You hate storms, right, Haruhi? Wow, looks like it’s gonna be a big one!”

“Honey-senpai,” Tamaki gritted out as he hurried after Haruhi, “you’re not helping.”

The twins stepped in front of him, effectively cutting off his path.

“What are you doing? Let me through! Haruhi needs—”

“Sorry, no can do.” They shrugged in unison. “Think about it, Boss. You really think Haruhi wants us to see her like that? She went in there to hide, so maybe we should leave her alone…”

He scowled. “I can’t leave her to ride out this storm all by herself!”

“Is that so?” The twins grinned widely. “In that case, why not make a contest out of it? _ Operation: Distract Haruhi from the Scary Storm!” _

“Contest? You two aren’t just doing this for fun, are you?” Honey asked point-blank, staring at them over Mori’s head with wide eyes.

“Of course not.” Kaoru put a hand to his chest as if thoroughly affronted.

“Yeah.” Hikaru solemnly mimicked his twin. “When we think of poor Haruhi, all alone in there with nothing to take her mind off the _ booming _ thunder or the _ blinding _flashes of lightning—”

Tamaki heard a muffled squeak come from the changing rooms and aimed a finger at them.

“Fine! I accept your challenge!”

“Really?” The twins were all smiles again. “We never settled the terms, though—”

“It doesn’t matter! The sooner Haruhi is distracted from this dastardly storm, the better!”

Kyoya clicked his mouse. “It’s not like the storm has a personality of its own…”

First, they tried banging together pots and pans procured from the school’s kitchens. All this resulted in was a shoe being flung from the depths of the changing rooms—the twins managed to dodge it, but Tamaki was not so lucky and it struck the side of his head.

Then they tried singing, but their idol personas from that afternoon had been an act in more than one sense. Every song they’d performed for the Host Club guests had been lip-synced. The guests had been the best adoring audience they could have asked for, but in this case Tamaki was cut off mid-verse by another thrown shoe.

“I don’t think it’s working,” Honey pointed out, now seated next to Mori by the rain-drenched window.

“I hate to admit it, but he’s right,” Hikaru muttered.

Kaoru nodded, gently placing the shoes by the changing rooms’ entrance. “I feel bad for Haruhi, but…”

“Not so fast!” Tamaki rushed to the other side of the room, a hand pressed against his throbbing head. A lightning flash punctuated his declaration—it couldn’t have been better timed if he’d planned it. “I still have one more trick up my sleeve!”

“Where are you—” Honey broke off as Mori slowly smiled.

Tamaki lowered himself onto the bench set before a grand piano, his fingers carefully poised over the keys. Then, he began to play. 

His song started out light and lilting, but soon transitioned to a warm and heartfelt tune. As he played, it almost seemed to complement the near-constant rumble of thunder and pattering of raindrops against the tall windows, taking on complex layers of harmony. He couldn’t help but smile as his hands swept up and down the keys. This song was a favorite of his, one he played when he needed to be comforted and uplifted. He very nearly lost himself in the music more than once... but he never allowed himself to forget who he was playing for.

Eventually, his smile grew as he saw a familiar pair of brown eyes peering out from the changing rooms.

“Uh-oh, I think you two just lost!” Honey chirped.

“Whatever!” The twins sing-songed, not sounding particularly put out. “Isn’t it better this way?”

Tamaki continued playing for Haruhi until the rain ceased pounding against the windows and the dark clouds outside gave way to blue.

***

_ One week later: _

“Happy Birthday, Haruhi!”

“These are for you!”

Haruhi stared at the portable CD player and headphones the twins shoved into her hands. “One, it’s not my birthday, Hikaru. And two, Kaoru, these look pretty expensive...”

“Well, yeah.”

“They’re top-of-the-line.”

Honey trotted up to her; she held the CD player down to his eye-level so he could get a better look at it. “Oooh, I’ve heard of this model! It’s not even supposed to be out yet!”

“Of course it’s not,” Haruhi muttered with a wry sense of resignation. “So, why are you giving this to me? I’m not even sure I’ll use it that often.”

“Even if you don’t, never fear!” Tamaki declared, spreading his arms in one of his grandiose gestures. “After all, it’s our gift to you. Nothing says you have to feel obligated to use it! That’s what gifts are—material goods freely bestowed out of the pure benevolence of—”

“And there you have it,” Kyoya cut in, once again at work on his laptop. “As to why… Well, why not give it a listen?”

Haruhi peered at the device. _ There’s already a CD in here? _

Tamaki started wailing about the indignity of being interrupted, but Haruhi was distracted by Mori’s large hand on her shoulder. She could barely make out the smile he gave her as he nodded towards the CD player. 

At his urging, she sank down onto a cushioned loveseat and set the CD player on her lap.

She carefully settled the headphones over her ears. 

Then she pressed the PLAY button and waited, uncertain as to what exactly she was going to hear.

After a moment of silence, a simple but very familiar piano melody began to weave its way from the headphones.

Her eyes widened and she pressed the headphones closer against her ears. “Wait, is this…?”

She shut her eyes, letting the song sweep through her before opening them once more. Her gaze fell on Tamaki. He was lounging in his favorite velvet-upholstered chair, one leg thrown over the other and a gentle smile on his face. Though his mouth was opening and closing like he was speaking, Haruhi could hear nothing except for the piano’s warm strains.

“Tama—”

She broke off when Kaoru and Hikaru jumped around in front of her, pointing exaggeratedly at her head until she got the hint and pulled off the headphones.

“—even a hint of rumbling, you can listen to this.” Tamaki’s voice was now crystal-clear. “You won’t be able to hear any thunder at all, and it’ll be like we’re right there with you, even if we’re not.”

“Wow, _ that _didn’t sound creepy at all,” Hikaru and Kaoru snarked in unison.

Tamaki flushed redder than the cushion of his chair. “I didn’t mean it like that and you know it!”

“There’s more than one song on there, Haru-chan!” Honey tugged on her sleeve and beamed up at her. “And it’s not just Tama-chan playing. Listen to the whole CD when it storms again, ‘kay?”

“Sure, but hopefully the next storm won’t last that long.” Despite her joking, she knew no amount of rain could drown out the warm comfort she felt right now. “Seriously, though… when and _ how _did you find the time to record this so fast?”

Kyoya spoke up. “When? Well, that’s for us to know. As for how…”

Haruhi waited for him to finish, but he just pressed a final key, closed the laptop and stood with a small smirk on his face.

_ Damn rich people. _

She sighed and shrugged off his smug, enigmatic act, a well-practiced habit by now. “Well, thank you for this, you guys. I’ll listen to the rest when I get home.”

She stowed the CD player and headphones in her bag just as the first two regulars of the afternoon walked in. Tamaki immediately snapped into ‘Prince Mode’, approaching the girls with a flourishing bow. “Welcome, my beautiful princesses! Whom might you wish to request today? Kyoya? Mori-senpai, perhaps? Or, dare I hope… that I’m the one who’s been on your minds?”

He pulled one of his trademark red roses out of thin air; even after all this time, Haruhi couldn’t fathom where it came from. He stroked the petals along the chin of the closest girl, who promptly blushed.

“Did I hit the mark? Because you, lovely damsels, are never far from my thoughts.”

“Oh, Tamaki!” the girl squealed.

“If only we never had to leave your side,” her friend whispered as he escorted them to the nearest table. Haruhi brought over a tea cart just as Kyoya strolled up to the table with his hands clasped decorously behind him.

“While it is a poor consolation compared to being with Tamaki in-person, you can still carry a semblance of him with you even when the Host Club isn’t in session.”

The girls perked up, as did the others who had trickled in. He smiled winningly and pulled his hands from behind his back—revealing a number of CD cases, expertly fanned out. Haruhi could tell the packaging had been professionally designed; each cover bore a skilled artistic rendering of the Ouran High School Host Club members.

She squinted at the covers. “Wait a second… I’m on there, too?”

“Of course, Haruhi.”

“But I didn’t—”

The way Kyoya smiled told her that maybe it was a good idea to stop talking. She obliged with a resigned shrug.

_ Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad… even if it’s Kyoya-senpai. Right? _

“No effort has been spared in compiling this musical collection by your favorite hosts of Music Room 3, ladies,” he went on smoothly. “Tamaki is a gifted pianist, but that’s not all. For instance, Haruhi’s voice has been sampled and—”

“My voice was what? Sampled…?” Her thoughts immediately went to shopping for food, but were soon disrupted when Kyoya finished delivering his sales pitch and started fielding orders left and right.

“I’ll take one!” a girl cried.

“Me too!” another called out.

“Don’t forget about the special, limited edition audio drama version. It features your prince, Tamaki Suoh himself, speaking his most popular lines into your ears. It can be yours for a very nominal price increase…”

_ “I want it!” _ screeched five girls at once.

Haruhi leveled a stare at Tamaki, who smiled shakily. “I-I had nothing to do with_ that, _ I swear!” He aimed a finger at the rest of the host club members. “Did you know he was going to do this?!”

“Nope.” The twins shrugged, looking unconcerned. “But we don’t know why you’re so surprised.”

Mori shook his head as Honey laughed and swung Usa-chan around. “It’s just like him to not miss a chance like this! Right, Usa-chan?”

“Your CD was the first one that got made, if it’s any help,” Hikaru stage-whispered to Haruhi.

“I thought you said you had nothing to do with it!” Tamaki yelled.

“Oops!” Hikaru exclaimed with a smirk. “Maybe we should wrap this up for today, Kaoru. _ Escape Plan A!” _

“Right behind you!”

The twins made a beeline for the door, easily evading Tamaki as he chased after them. Haruhi sighed and began serving the guests tea as they chattered happily about their newly purchased CDs.

_ Would it kill these guys to have a normal, quiet club meeting for once? _

She tried to imagine what that would be like, then laughed to herself.

_ Probably! Which one of them is ‘normal,’ anyway? _


End file.
